Last Sunday was a glorious day, full wall-to-wall sunshine and very clear air. I made another mini movie, sense impression?
Prestbury Solar Sunday sums it all up really, everything started to feel like magic in that light.
Not sure what my next move is to be, things are still just sauntering along and I am now running out of money but not to worry, mustn’t grumble! The “down turn” aka capitalism’s inevitable self-shafting implosion is having a noticeable effect in Prestbury now. The White House restaurant, which has been a village institution for as long as I can remember, has finally closed down and yet another landmark village building is left forlorn and vacant. I can’t remember any precedents for this in Prestbury. Even in the difficult times of the 70s I remember that the village centre still seemed to be thriving though I think it had a more residential character then anyway. The village had a very continental air about it 12 or so years ago when I first came to live here and I always enjoyed sitting out front of the Bollin Cafe with a beer. Tables, chairs and parasols on the main street really gave the Village a friendly and lively ambience I thought.
I have loads of ideas for local based photography and just waiting for more of the right kind of light and enough free time. Really need a camera upgrade too —- arrrgh!
Again we write with an almost empty head but it is necessary to make the obligatory seasonal entry. Things are still pretty much the same for yours truly and as previously mentioned there is a sense of a state of becalmed relaxation, which is very pleasant. Of course it will not, cannot last, as is always the case.
Spring has arrived in Prestbury and there is much joyful colour all around. Monday was exceptionally pleasant sunny, warm and still, just as springtime should be. Now of course this pleasant stillness and clearness of sky is just a seasonal lull, a glimps of a mini proto-summer before the depressing slide into sick climate syndrome and the grey, wet, flooded out reality of real summer months.
I spent much of the afternoon helping Rob to clear up around Ford House in preparation for a sale. Working out doors in the sunshine with Mr N talking cinema, jazz and philosophy is the closest I can get to a sense spiritual fulfilment in Prestbury. It is such a pity that the village has lost the opportunity for a proper community centre in Ford House, a proper ‘drop in’ facility with IT and all sorts of other free ‘community’ share-ins would have been quite nice really. Prestbury needs at least one institution based on socialist principals! I suspect that it is destined to become yet another highly expensive private property though.
Music of The Moment.
It’s music of the moment time, but this time it is a desire for something exceptionally rare that is unavailable as any kind of download.
Joyce & Nava Vasconselos Visions of Dawn
Again Mr Giles Peterson has introduced me to another rare gem of an album. Visions of Dawn was a collaborative effort between Joyce and Nava Vasconselos two significant artists in the 70s Latin ‘Western’ cross over mix-up – apparently. And of course it has attracted a lot of attention as part of my ongoing discovery of progressive 70s Latin Jazz, Latin Soul and Folk Jazz. So far I have only heard the song Chegada (last track on the album) but it was impressively atmospheric in that narcotic inspired way that is essential in all such matters. Lots of reverberating vocals, spatial guitar and distinctive and refreshingly unusual harmonies. I just love these chronologically retrogressive discovery adventures.
Really very little to say tonight, I have re-grown a beard — yet again — and may be clean shaven by the time this goes to press, I reckon people must be starting to think I have some sort of schizophrenic personality disorder with all of these constant appearance changes.
I’m really stuck in a black and white mode at the moment and doing almost nothing in colour. There are a lot more of my self portraits on flickr of course.
Right now I feel strangely detached from everything, nothing is having any effect on me at the moment and life feels strangely, unreasonably, comfortable and easy, Well at least on that more mundane material level of simply existing if you know what I mean.
As usual I’m listing to Giles Peterson’s recent show and it is a good’un tonight. Eclectic as ever, but we have a rather satisfying cross section of Latin and Euro jazz. I mean we have just gone from Michel Legrand to Stereolab and then some wonderfully obscure 1976 collaboration between Joyce & Nava Vasconselos on the always interesting ‘far Out’ label. I’m getting quite fixated with the contemporary Latin Jazz and soul thing at the moment.
